Tourism

It's the return of the island's post-season showcase: Formentera in October

Friday, 13 September 2019 12:19

Earlier today the Consell de Formentera Office of Tourism unveiled the latest edition of Descobreix Formentera a l'Octubre. President and tourism councillor Alejandra Ferrer described the “Discover Formentera in October” campaign of perks and special deals boosting off-season tourism as “a way to attract visitors before and after the traditional summer season; to give them a look at the island's more authentic, tranquil side”.

Campaigners insist October is prime visiting time, and point to deep savings on ferries, car hire and accommodations. Not to mention, in Ferrer's words, “a local agenda that's bursting at the seams with leisure, culture and sport”.

“We're chipping away at the typical idea of the traditional summer season”, says Ferrer, “so we promote and coordinate different activities, and Formentera businesses propose special offers, events and bonuses”. The president described it as “a winning formula of collaboration between the public and private sectors”.

How it works

Tourists who book lodging at participating businesses benefit from reductions on ferry trips, rental cars, active-tourism promotors, and can enjoy a beefed-up calendar of events to choose from. A list of the establishments involved in the campaign can be found at the Consell de Formentera tourism website:

Gastronomic Weekends

As part of Caps de setmana gastronòmics, the first and second weekends of October, various restaurants will offer sample menus of typical island cuisine for a lean 20 euros . Menu selections can be found here.

Sport and culture

October wouldn't be the same on Formentera without its procession of culture- and fitness-fuelled events. The first on the list is a triathlon—el Triatló “Illa de Formentera”—in es Pujols. Scheduled this year for Saturday 5, the function typically draws some 300 participants, not counting accompanying family and friends.

Two decades after Unesco decided to class the posidonia meadow as a World Heritage site, Formentera welcomes Fòrum Save Posidonia from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12. The biannual forum's premise is two-pronged. First, it brings together experts from Spain and farther afield behind the cause of shaping strategies for safeguarding an underwater species whose existence is essential to Formentera and the Mediterranean at large. Second, participants will gauge the success of efforts that have taken place over the two years since the last forum.

Friday 11 to Sunday 13, Formentera Zen gives travellers hoping to see another side of Formentera the perfect excuse to visit. Participants will get a calendar of activities that's packed with yoga and pilates, along with workshops on an array of topics like heart-healthy diets, mindfulness and aromatherapy. An extra special part of this year's programme is Veronica Blume, who will offer a master class on yoga that is open to all.

La Mola's yearly festivities—les festes del Pilar—comprise the now-familiar uphill trek known as la Pujada (Saturday 12), Festival Son Estrella Galicia (Friday 11–Saturday 12), the mountain bike “ride round the island” (BTT Volta Cicloturista; Friday 25–Sunday 27) and the maiden run of a marine photography event known as “Cazafotosub d'Apnea”. Also filling out the month is the third Collective Signatures, a three-day gathering of international artists (Wednesday 16–Friday 18). Complete event information can be found at the tourism website of the Consell de Formentera: formentera.es/en.

13 September 2019Department of CommunicationConsell de Formentera

Local fare from all 4 islands at farmers' market

Tuesday, 30 July 2019 16:00

Meeting with Farmers, a group of eleven other cooperatives that are based in the Balearics, the chairman of Formentera's agrarian cooperative unveiled a stand dedicated to selling products from the region at the local farmers' market (Mercat Pagès).

Carlos Marí, who directs the local Cooperativa del Camp, pointed out that products made on all four Balearic Islands will be available for purchase at the stand, “not to mention Formentera products like wines, gin, peix sec and olive oil”. The selection can also be found at points of sale across the Balearics, and on in Madrid.

Tolo Mercadel, who heads Farmers' sales and expansion arm, traced the birthplace of the two-year-old initiative to Menorca, and said that with Formentera included, all four islands are contributing products. Mercadel indicated Farmers' plans to push forward with their business model, which he stressed was about putting quality first. “We're hoping to get the buy-in of shoppers who back our moral cause”, he added.

The event was also attended by Cooperativa del Camp chairman Jaume Escandell and two Consell de Formentera officials, commerce councillor Ana Juan and primary sector councillor Josep Marí, who said they support the initiative. Marí said the project "is about showcasing locally-made products" and would be "an important addition to the fresh fruit that's already sold at the mercat". The Mercat Pagès opens Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 2.00pm until October.

The twelfth Passarel·la de Moda—a fashion catwalk event under the tagline “Simply Formentera—got rolling last night (Tuesday) at 10.00pm in Sant Francesc's plaça de la Constitució. The evening is aimed at promoting the work of local textile merchants and designers.

Eleven clothing and accessories designers and five jewellers had their creations on the runway. Presenting duties were handled by former IB3 Eivissa reporter Maria Moya, who currently is part of the crew on La Sexta's programme “Arusitys”.

As ever, modelling talent was supplied by Deva Models d'Eivissa, who brought to life the locally-designed fashion before a teeming crowd of islanders and tourists.

6 July 2019Office of CommunicationFormentera Council

Educating islanders about itinerant vending

Monday, 22 July 2019 14:20

Commerce councillor Ana Juan and Pep Mayans, the chair of Eivissa and Formentera's small and medium-sized business association (PIMEF), were joined today by CiF Commerce department specialist Amalia Mora and PIMEF rep Lidia Álvarez for the unveiling of a joint push to stop unauthorised peddlers from hawking products on Formentera.

Councillor Juan held up an accompanying brochure designed “to build awareness around the risks of making off-the-books purchases”. Often the perils are health-related, and stem from the fact that “products aren't submitted to any sort of screening”. The councillor pledged the Consell de Formentera would always defend small businesses—“those who are hardest hit by unfair competition”.

Pep Mayans described the initiative as “tackling the problem through education”. PIMEF has also saluted efforts by law enforcement to combat such sales.

5,000 brochures

Printed in Catalan, Castilian Spanish, English and Italian and currently being distributed around one hundred local stores, lodgings and beaches, the tracts highlight the benefits of buying local and the drawbacks of buying from unlicensed sellers.

According to Amalia Mora, recent weeks have seen the Formentera local police report 97 cases on island beaches—most involved fruit, and a smaller portion involved clothing, accessories and costume jewellery.

22 July 2019Communication departmentConsell de Formentera

'Simply Formentera'—runway show turns twelve on Friday 5 July in Sant Francesc

Friday, 28 June 2019 12:57

The first vice-president and trade councillor Ana Juan was joined by department staffer Amalia Mora in unveiling details today about the island's twelfth fashion runway show—or passarel·la de moda—scheduled to take place at 10.00pm in Sant Francesc's Constitució square on Friday 5 July.

Councillor Juan described the message behind this year's event—“Simply Formentera” (Senzillament Formentera)—as being about “the importance of conserving our heritage and culture if we want to preserve our lifestyle”. Which explains why organisers chose Sant Francesc's church-front plaza, or plaça, as the backdrop. “It's a heritage site”, said the councillor, “set against designs from another part of our culture: fashion...which has been many local women's livelihood”.

Amalia Mora pointed out that the presenter of this year's Passarel·la not only has deep ties to the Pityusic Islands, but is a bonafide Formentera fan, as well. Maria Moya is the former Eivissa reporter for the Balearic Islands' radio and television service, IB3, and is currently among the faces on La Sexta's morning programme “Arusitys”.

Eivissa firm Deva Models will supply the modelling talent, said Mora, and they will be sporting everything from jewellery and bags to wedding gowns, cocktail dresses and high-level vanguard creations inspired by nature, the sea and the Formentera colour-scape. The one common thread in all the pieces? “There are always titillating surprises”, intimated Mora. “Whether you are a visiting tourist or one of the dyed-in-the-wool Passarel·la fan and Formentera resident”.

Reaching outAlso on hand at the presentation was Cintia Llaquet of Fundación Conciencia, who spoke about the runway event's connection to charitable initiatives. The Formentera Council paid €1,300 for 100 copies of the foundation's self-published book, “Moshi”; it will handed out among the children participating in the fashion show. Money raised will go to the children's oncology unit of Can Misses hospital.

The children's book is based on the true story of the bond established between Eivissa and Africa when a charitable initiative was hatched to gather donated bicycles for children of Tanzania's Moshi orphanage. Just a stone's throw from reaching its destination, the lorry bearing the gifted bikes was stopped in its tracks by an enormous troupe of migrating elephants. Copies of “Moshi” can be purchased at bookshops of the island.